Composed of fifteen elements each connected by a panel of interlocking links, the elements alternately of square form and dome shape. 68 cm. length CATALOGUE NOTE This is one of the most substantial and unusual examples of Seljuk jewellery to be offered at auction in recent times. It combines a strength in design with a sophistication in manufacture. The foliate decoration, the shape of the elements, the form of the clasp are all familiar from recorded examples of Seljuk jewellery. The use of bands of interconnected links to join the elements is less common. Several examples of bands formed in this way have been discovered. A bracelet formed entirely of such a band was published by Popescu and thought to be of Balkan origin and date from the fourteenth century (Popescu 1970, p.56, no.84). Another bracelet of related form was attributed to the Ottoman Empire sometime in the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries (Spink and Son 1986, p.62, no.68). A further example in the National Museum in Damascus was believed to originate in northern Syria and to date from the twelfth or thirteenth century. The combination of the elements, drawing on a more readily identifiable Persian Seljuk style, linked by bands associated with the area extending from the Balkans through Anatolia to northern Syria suggests that the origin of this piece of jewellery may be from the Rum Seljuk tradition. Condition Report Condition reports and high resolution pictures are available on our website at www.orientalartauctions.com If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at [email protected]